


See You on the Ice, Sweetpea

by sweetsoutherncuisine



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, NHL Player Eric "Bitty" Bittle, idk what else, some original characters kinda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-05-28 06:36:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15042929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetsoutherncuisine/pseuds/sweetsoutherncuisine
Summary: During Bitty's senior year, he's scouted by the Houston Aeros and eventually winds up on the team. Tonight is his first game against the Falcs. It'll be the first time he and Jack have seen each other since the start of the season.





	See You on the Ice, Sweetpea

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a cute little thing that I wanted. Jack and Bitty playing hockey together, but not together, and being super flirty and competitive. Apologies if the writing is a bit rough - I haven't written for fun in quite a long time, this wasn't beta'd, and I truly have very little knowledge of real hockey. But I hope it's fun and y'all enjoy. :)

* * *

 

[Hi honey!!!! Just wanted to say that I love you and that we're going to KICK YOUR BUTTS tonight!!!! <3 B]

 

[Haha. Love you too, Bits. But the only butt kicking is gonna be done to you bud <3 JZ]

 

[Oooh, those are fighting words there, sweetpea! Don't think I'll go easy on you just because I love you. ;D B]

 

[Oh I'd never think that. And don't think I will either. JZ]

 

[You'd better not - I need to beat you at your best. ;P B]

 

[Of course. JZ]

[Still ditching the hotel for my place? JZ]

 

[Of course! <3 B]

[Pops and Ricksie say you can come celebrate with us when we win. ;) B]

 

[Huh. That's funny. JZ]

[Tater was just saying you can come out to celebrate with all of us when we win too :-) JZ]

 

[Oh did he? Hmm. B]

[Well, I suppose he's just trying to be hospitable, even if y'all don't stand a chance. ;) B]

 

[You're just chirping up a storm tonight aren't you? JZ]

 

[What can I say? I'm on my game. B]

 

[I can see that. JZ]

[I'm expecting no less on the ice. JZ]

 

[Oh honey. Just you wait. ;D B]

 

[Ha. Looking forward to it. JZ]

 

[See you on the ice, sweetpea. <3 B]

* * *

 

Eric had never been so nervous in his life but it was also so exciting! No one, least of all him, had ever expected that he'd get picked up by the NHL. It started his senior year, after Samwell had won the game that got them to the NCAA finals. A nicely-dressed woman approached him, complimented him on the game, and handed him a business card as manager of the Seattle Schooners. Well! And after Samwell had _won_ the whole dang NCAA tournament, more offers came in. Not _that_ many, he wasn't Jack Zimmermann for goodness' sake, but to be considered - to have _options_ \- it was something Eric had never truly considered.

In the end, it came down to the Schooners and the Aeros, and the Aeros won out only because Seattle was just too darned far away from both Providence _and_ Georgia. The process of it had been all sorts of confusing and scary, since he and Jack were already out - and as a couple on top of that - but thank goodness for Jack and his wonderful family and agent and PR people who helped him through it all. He was still somewhat shell-shocked remembering the questions from his first official presser. But now it was just time to go out and play the game.

He wasn't on first line - he was a rookie, after all - but just being on the bench and watching Jack play for the opposite team roused all kinds of conflicting emotions. He wasn't supposed to root for him, darn it. It was especially difficult because Jack just looked so _good_ out there on the ice and Eric hadn't seen him live and in person for a whole month now. He was pretty sure that was the longest they'd been apart since...well, since they'd gotten together.

Finally, he got sent out after they dipped behind about halfway through the second period - Falconers 2, Aeros 1 - in an attempt to out-speed the Falcs' defense. It took everything in his power not to smile and wave at Jack as they stood on opposite sides of center ice. Honestly, the strangest part of all this was exactly that - not being on Jack's line. They knew each other's playing styles and techniques inside and out, better than anyone else ever could from just watching tape. Eric knew he was faster than anyone on the Falcs, that if he got the puck he'd zip straight through their defense. But Jack knew that too. Eric could already tell by the determined look on Jack's face that he was calculating for precisely that.

Then out of the blue...that determined expression broke into a warm smile. It took every ounce of Eric's will not to melt on the spot. Jack's smile only grew - and then he winked and blew Eric a kiss. There was a murmur of amusement in the crowd. Eric's mouth dropped open and he could hear his teammates failing to stifle their laughter.

"Your charms are no good to you here, Mr. Zimmermann," Eric chirped sternly, fighting hard to keep a straight face while Marty and Tater snickered on either side of Jack.

The puck dropped. Pops snagged it away from Jack and flicked it straight to Eric, who immediately zipped his way toward the Falcs' goal.

"Snowy, head up!" Jack called out, already right on Eric's tail. If there were anyone on the Falcs who could catch up to him on the ice, it was Jack.

It was admittedly scary to see Jack coming at him instead of beside him, but Eric did his best to keep his wits about him. Jack wasted no time getting up in his space, too, playing solid defense. But even Jack Zimmermann had never been on the receiving end of the ol' Bittle Spinorama. Eric twirled out of Jack's reach and flicked a shot just a hair past Snowy's glove and into the net. He raised his stick high in the air and whooped, taking his turn to blow Jack a kiss as he glided past.

Jack snorted and shook his head while Marty patted him on the shoulder.

"C'mon, kiddo. They've only tied it up. Don't get distracted, eh?"

Eric grinned at Jack, just in time before his teammates surrounded him to give him exuberant side hugs and smacks on the shoulder. It was a great feeling - playing well, earning his teammates' trust. And doing it in front of Jack.

They got on their sides again, the puck dropped, and this time Tater was the one skating off with it. This play turned out a lot more complicated, and went on a lot longer. No one could seem to get a goal in. Before they knew it, the second period was over and the score was still 2-2.

"Nice goal, Bittle," Coach Castillo said with a grin as they all came back in for intermission, "good to see you boys focused out there."

Eric positively glowed.

Third period started and Eric was pleasantly surprised to find himself being sent out again. Being sent out more than once per game was still a rarity for him. For the first half, it was sort of a relief to find that he wasn't playing against Jack - he and Thirdy had swapped so he could have a break. But things resumed pretty much exactly how they'd left off in the second period - deadlocked. Eric was doing his best to get off good passes but the Falcs had a solid defense and were getting in a lot of hard checks. At this rate, they'd wind up in OT.

Jack swapped back in for Tater. It was a good decision and it made Eric slightly nervous. The checks were coming more frequently now, and harder. Just because Eric had worked through his physicality issues in college didn't mean the threat of a hard check didn't make him anxious. He'd barely made a pass to Pops when Marty slammed him into the boards. Oof.

"Désolé, gamin," Marty said with a grin, patting Eric's back, "shake it off, eh?"

Well Eric did shake it off, thank you very much. Though he was a little timid on the next few plays. He didn't have time to get stuck in his head, though, with the clock ticking down the last few minutes. They needed to be more aggressive.

With that in mind, Eric managed to skate up alongside Jack the next time he had the puck, winking at him cheekily as he snuck the puck away from him and passed it to Ricksie.

"Little punk," Jack grunted with a small chuckle, zipping forward to match pace with Ricksie. With Marty on his left ready to go, he shoulder-checked Ricksie out of reach of the puck while Marty swiped it up.

"I heard that," Eric muttered under his breath, hurrying to catch up to the puck. It just kept exchanging sides, over and over, until there was barely a minute left. Pops took a hard check into the boards from Thirdy and Eric was only barely able to swipe up the puck.

Moment of truth. This was probably his last chance. Their last chance. And Jack was right on him in an instant. God, that man was good at hockey. Somehow that was hard to appreciate at the moment.

With some more spinorama, Eric managed to make it down to the Falcs' goal, knowing he was taking entirely too long trying to navigate a shot past Jack, who knew exactly how to slow him down. Keep him confined and get practically under his skates. Borderline trip him up. If he took much longer, he'd just get the puck taken from him. The seconds were ticking away fast.

"I love you," he said quickly, trying not to smile at the puzzled look on Jack's face, and rammed his shoulder into Jack's chest. He managed to get off a wild shot in that one, brief opening. Oh please dear Lord, let it go in...

Snowy looked caught off guard and dove for it, jamming his stick out, but it ricocheted up and over it, sinking into the net. The buzzer sounded. Final score 3-2, Aeros.

It took a long moment for it to sink in for Eric - they'd won. He'd scored a GAME-WINNING goal!!! His teammates screamed and piled on top of him, practically crushing him, but he was screaming just as loudly.

Jack watched the celly with an odd mix of disappointment and pride. He hated losing with a passion. But losing to Bitty...something about that felt kind of ok. He blinked, startled out of his head when Tater clapped him on the shoulder.

"Go get boy."

Jack laughed.

It took a long time for everyone to calm down enough for post-game handshakes, and he grinned sheepishly when he got to Jack in the line. "I'm sorry, sweetheart - but I promised not to go easy, remember?"

"Don't be sorry." Jack smiled, forgoing the handshake and slipping an arm around Eric's shoulder to pull him in for a hug. "I'm proud of you, Bits," he murmured, flicking his visor up and kissing the top of Eric's helmet.

Jack's sweet humility almost made Eric feel guilty. Almost. He blushed, eyes bright, when Jack said he was proud, and laughed fondly at the dorky kiss that he saw more than felt.

"Thanks honey. Almost didn't manage it with you puttin' up such a fight. I love you." Eric saw Marty and Thirdy making pretend gagging faces at them and stuck his tongue out at them. "Still gonna come celebrate with us tonight?" he asked Jack, who was ignoring his teammates like a pro.

"Of course I'm going to. I haven't seen you in forever. Wouldn't pass that up for anything," Jack replied sincerely, sliding his hand down to give Eric's a squeeze. "Go get the rest of your handshakes, game-winner." He winked.

Eric positively lit up with delight. Thank goodness. He squeezed Jack's hand right back, wishing they weren't wearing their gloves. "You sweet, charming thing you," he murmured, "I'll see you soon."

They finished up the handshakes and then it was time for some brief interviews, which for Eric thankfully consisted mostly of, "How does it feel to get your first game-winning goal?" and only one teasing, "Will there be trouble in paradise after a brutal check like that to Jack Zimmermann?" Eric played it all off, laughing and joking, giving his team all the credit.

"Oh my Lord, no," he exclaimed with a laugh, "you can't imagine the scolding I'd have gotten if I _let_ him win. No, we're perfectly capable of handling some healthy competition."

With that, Eric excused himself so he could change and celebrate and _kiss Jack_. Good Lord, it had been too long. He rushed through a shower, fending off chirps while he threw on his skinny jeans and an old Samwell t-shirt.

"Yo Bitty, where's the fire? You got somewhere to get to?" Ricksie asked with a grin. "You're not gonna ditch us and skip the party for some handsome Canadian, are ya?"

"Oh honey, no, of course not," Eric replied calmly, already texting Jack at lightning speed, "I'm gonna ditch you after you buy me and my handsome Canadian as many rounds as I scored goals tonight."

Pops cackled in the background and called out, "I think the kid's givin' you a fair deal, man, any other guy on the team would'a asked for waaay more than two rounds." Ricksie pretended to grumble and pout.

Eric just winked and hurried out the door in search of Jack.

* * *

 

[Wait so we're all going to the same bar???? B]

 

[Haha yeah. JZ]

[Tater set it up with your d-man, uh, Oreo, right? JZ]

 

[Aww! Well it'll be so good to see all y'all!!! And I promise not to rub our win in your faces, though I can't promise on behalf of my boys... B]

 

[Haha. Fair. JZ]

[Hey bud, head up. JZ]

* * *

 

His phone had just buzzed with that last message when Eric literally bumped right into Jack in the hallway, staggering slightly.

"Honey!" he exclaimed, flinging his arms around Jack's neck and hugging him close. Jack chuckled softly against his ear and folded his arms tightly around him in return.

"I missed you, Bits," Jack murmured.

"God, sweetheart, I missed you too." Eric pulled back just far enough to get a good look at Jack's gorgeous face and, unable to help himself any longer, leaned up for a slow, sweet kiss. This would have been worth it even if they'd lost.

"'Atta boy, rookie, now that's how you celebrate a win!" Oreo called out loudly, wolf-whistling. Pops and Ricksie weren't far behind him, laughing and grinning.

Jack and Eric both blushed and pulled apart slightly, though Jack's hand continued to rest on the small of Eric's back.

"C'mon, me an' Tater got a cool bar picked out. Our teams're each gonna buy each other a round, 'cause we're polite fuckers, an' then we're all pitchin' in for shots for our Itty Bitty," Oreo said with a broad grin, slapping Eric on the back.

"Well - oof - goodness! How on earth could we refuse?" Eric replied, exchanging amused looks with Jack.

Most of the Aeros either had rental cars or were Ubering it, but Jack had insisted that Eric carpool with him anywhere he needed to go. And after not having seen his boyfriend in a month, Eric honestly couldn't see any reason not to do exactly that. Getting into Jack's car together was the first time they'd had a moment alone so far. Jack didn't even start the car at first, reaching over to guide Eric's chin toward him so he could kiss him again.

"We're...going to...be late," Eric murmured between kisses, although his tone didn't sound particularly concerned.

"I don't care," Jack mumbled, taking Eric's face warmly in his hands to bring him in for a deep kiss. It was hard to argue with that. When they stopped to catch their breath, Jack pressed his forehead to Eric's, thumb brushing slow circles over his cheek. "I just...needed a minute...to have you to myself."

"Sweetheart," Eric breathed fondly, cupping Jack's hand against his cheek, "we can just go home if you really want." Jack's mouth twisted with uncertainty.

"No, I...I want you to be able to celebrate like everybody else. You deserve it."

"Why, you sweet thing..."

They only kissed for a few more minutes before finally heading out for the bar. It took about five seconds to spot Oreo and Tater frantically waving them over to a bunch of tables shoved together where there was a mass of rowdy hockey players and an untouched tray of shots.

"Oh dear Lord in heaven," Eric groaned.

"Yo, rook! Get over here, these shots aren't gonna take themselves!" Ricksie shouted, far too loud as usual.

"Long night ahead, eh?" Jack commented with a smile, nudging Eric lightly. Eric let out a long sigh, shaking his head.

"Long night ahead," he agreed.


End file.
